Austria runs out of antibiotic juices for children

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - Pharmacies in Austria are sounding the alarm, having run out of children's antibiotic juices, local media reported on Wednesday.

The most trusted broad-spectrum antibiotic juices for children have already been in shortage for weeks in the country and will no longer be delivered in March, reported the Austrian daily Kleine Zeitung.

According to the newspaper, wholesalers and pharmacies have run out of stocks as waiting lists have stretched to more than 23,000 packages for both children and adults.

The president of the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists, Ulrike Mursch-Edlmayr, told the Austria Press Agency that about 130,000 packs of children's antibiotic juices were consumed in Austria in 2019, with about 80,000 dispensed last year.

Now, more is unavailable. "We didn't even manage to cover the annual demand from before the pandemic," said the pharmacist chamber chief.

According to Mursch-Edlmayr, the country should buy raw materials abroad so pharmacies can produce remedies themselves.

"We know there is raw material on the market right now and we know exactly how much raw material we need for these products," she added, noting that the chamber offered the Health Ministry to prepare these products fresh in pharmacies.

She went on to say that Austria would have to provide a purchase guarantee for the procurement of raw materials abroad and secure the financing. Domestic wholesalers could then ensure distribution to pharmacies throughout Austria.

Mursch-Edlmayr emphasized that patients and parents would only have to pay the prescription fee for the drugs produced in pharmacies. According to her, the problem of supply bottlenecks will remain in Austria.